
Sarah Bryden
Our Director, Sarah, was a partner at a leading national law firm before deciding there was a better way to do things!
As a recreational athlete, Sarah understands the commitment and drive that it takes to achieve success. By providing the very best legal support and ongoing guidance, we aim to assist with our client’s pursuit of excellence.
At Echelon Legal, we see our role as similar to a trusted former coach or mentor. We are here to help assist you or your organisation through good times and bad and support you at all stages of a dispute with learned insight and deep experience. By doing so we know we can deliver better outcomes and create a relationship of trust that means our clients can move forward confidently, knowing they have the very best legal support in their corner.
So how can we assist you?
- We can advise you on contractual negotiations (helping you identify the unknown risks and how to contractually minimise them);
- advise you on risk mitigation strategies;
- advise you on, and assist you through the process of alternative dispute resolution
- review your organisation’s existing policies and advise you in relation to gaps or risks
- advising you in relation to potential claims you may have against someone else and how best to protect your interests or recover what’s owed to you;
- advise you in relation to, and represent you through all stages in the dispute resolution process, whether that be pre-litigation contractual dispute resolution processes, mediation, settlement conference or litigation.
Memberships
- Member of the AusCycling National Advisory Council
- Current Committee Member for Brisbane Womens’ Cycling
- Current member of Auscycling Selection Review panel
- Current panel member of the National Sports Tribunal Legal Assistance Panel – we provide pro bono and low bono advice and assistance to parties to matters before the National Sports Tribunal
- Member of the Minerva Network . I currently mentor a Paralympic basketball player (Hannah Dodd). Minerva is a network of professional women who mentor elite female athletes in their non-sport related lives.
- Member of Australia and New Zealand Sports Lawyer Association (ANZSLA)
- Committee Member for the 2021 ANZSLA Conference
- Member of Sport Integrity Australia’s independent investigator panel
- Active supporter of The Wattle Nest, and episode sponsor of “For the Glory”. I am sponsoring the episode featuring Abbey Wilcox, a Brisbane based aeriel skier.
- Currently an active road cyclist – I race in (primarily) endurance based events, including the Cunningham Classic (a 105km race from Gatton to Warwick – known as Queensland’s toughest and most prestigious one day road race classics), Three Peaks Challenge (a 234km road race with 3 major climbs – Tawonga Gap, Mt Hothan and Falls Creek. One of the toughest road races in the world). I recently took part in the Chain Reaction challenge which involved riding 1000km in 7 days through Tasmania. This is a Corporate challenge raising money for disadvantaged children.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Laws – Hons
University of Queensland - Bachelor of Arts
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander major - Governance in Sport
Governance Institute of Australia - Working with Children Check
(1984814) - Current National Police Check
So, why engage with Echelon Legal?
Echelon Legal is connected, invested and trusted with deep legal expertise. As a small firm we are able to offer clients the most responsive, focused advice. Our aim is not just to help you through your current legal crisis, but to develop a real and long term partnership and friendship to protect your interests now and into the future.
As well as being a good lawyer, Sarah is easy to get along with and I’m dedicated. Most importantly though she is always keen to meet you to go for a run, a bike ride or hit the gym!
So what are my key capabilities?
- Echelon Legal is able to deliver personal and trusted advice because we:
- have outstanding technical skills forged in leading practices
- provide price transparency, great communication and support
- deliver a human, personalised service
- are great communicators who understand the challenges faced by organisations
- do what it takes to protect our clients interests
- are results driven and care about our client’s success
- believe legal services can be delivered better and more efficiently to greatly increase access to the right answers at the right times
- are invested and passionate about helping clients achieve their goals
Sporting Experience
- Recently acted for an athlete in a dispute before the National Sports Tribunal in an arbitration reviewing a decision by the national body that the athlete had breached the Member Protection Policy.
- Recently acted for a member of a national sporting organisation in a claim in the National Sports Tribunal in relation to a member protection dispute. The claim ultimately did not proceed. It was a claim against a NSO regarding breaches by a member of the NSO at state level about breaches of the Member Protection Policy and other related policies. The claimant had appealed the state club decision through the internal tribunals and wished to take the matter to appeal at NST level. The NSO’s policies did not, at that stage, recognise the NST and it would not agree to the NST’s jurisdiction (the NST is an opt in model so if the NSO’s policies don’t recognise the NST, both parties must agree or the matter can’t proceed)
- I provided advice recently to 5 NSO’s on the adoption of the National Sports Tribunal’s suite of dispute resolution policies. This involved drafting or amending policies of the relevant organisations to ensure compliance with the dispute resolution policies and advising the organisations on implementation
- Acted for a gymnastics coach in an arbitration before the NST relating to complaints by a gymnast. The matter settled, save for one issue relating to publication of the outcome by the NST. See Coach v Gymnastics Australia and Sport Integrity Australia | National Sports Tribunal
- Currently acting for a member of an NSO in relation to a mediation before the NST involving claims of bullying and harassment by the NSO of a categorised athlete.
- Currently acting for a cyclist in a claim against an insurer following an accident involving a car
Other Relevant Experience
- Lots of experience in contentious matters and investigatory and disciplinary proceedings (not specific to sport)
- Lots of experience in intellectual property matters including trade mark applications and disputes, enforcement of IP rights (relevant to for example, attribution to player images, trademarks). IP / brand protection
- Disciplinary and integrity advice and advocacy
- Experience in defamation proceedings including defamatory tweets
- Experience in competition and consumer law issues
- Advising in respect of employment and industrial relations issues, including issues in relation to employees v contractors
- Drafted employment contracts
- Advising in relation to commercial contracts and arrangements (relevant in terms of player contracts, coach contracts, licensing and endorsement agreements, player/athlete management agreements)